


Flying From A Fire

by Nula_is_Nula



Category: BLURRYFACE - Twenty One Pilots (Album), Trench - Twenty One Pilots (Album), Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Buckle up, Gen, Minor Violence, References to songs, This one's going to be long, Trench Era, dema, will add more tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-04 16:23:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16350050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nula_is_Nula/pseuds/Nula_is_Nula
Summary: What does it mean for his life in the Glorious Vista when Tyler Joseph witnesses something no Deman was meant to see?





	1. March to the Sea

Tyler Joseph was nine years old when he first questioned the life he was living.

 

His parents had taken him and his siblings, to visit their grandfather, the oldest person in District Keons, perhaps in all of Dema, in the House of the Old near the edge of the District. Tyler hadn’t seen his Grandpa in a while, but he remembered the cheerful old man’s stories, stories that had been passed down through the ages, stories about the “Sea” and something called a “Forest.” Grandpa said that these things existed long ago, during a time Before. “Before what?” Tyler had asked many times, but Grandpa had always replied with, “You’ll know someday.” 

 

Tyler had been expecting another visit like the ones from when he was younger. What he saw instead was his grandfather lying in a bed in a hospital gown instead of Dema’s standard black jumpsuit, looking a lot older and mumbling something about birds. “Who are they?” he said angrily, looking at the Josephs. Tyler’s dad stared at his father. “Dad, it’s me. It’s Chris,” he said, his voice vaguely shaking. “Mr. Joseph, this is your son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren,” the nurse said softly. “Bah! I don’t know a Chris. Birds are bad. Bad, bad birds.” 

Tyler didn’t realize he was crying until he felt the tears rolling down his cheeks. He rubbed his eyes furiously, not wanting his siblings to see their oldest brother showing weakness like this. “Tyler’s crying!” eight-year-old Zack yelled, and everyone turned to look at him. This, of course, made Tyler cry even more. He turned around fast, pushed past little Madison and Jay, and ran out of the building as fast as he could. He heard a few yells of “Stop him!” but Tyler was too fast. He sprinted as far as he could, running, running, running until his legs ached and his lungs burned. He stopped, nearly collapsing from the effort, then looked around. He had been running for so long, he had lost track of where he was. Now, he was standing in an open field dotted with a few trees, right next to…

The Outer Wall. The barrier separating the Glorious Vista of Dema from the dreaded Outside World. Tyler had never been to this close to the Wall before. Wiping away the last of his tears, he started taking a few steps closer. Grey and covered in moss and vines, the occasional neon light attached to it here and there, the Wall towered over the tallest buildings in District Keons. Tyler didn’t know what the other eight Districts looked like, or if the Wall was higher there. 

 

As he was examining the Wall, however, Tyler heard shouting in the distance. Turning around, he saw someone running in his direction. His eyes widened. It was probably someone from the House of the Old, chasing after him. He had to hide! Darting his head around quickly, he saw a nearby tree, and dashed over to it. Tyler scrambled up the tree as quickly as he could, the rough bark scraping against his hands, making little white and red lines on his skin and coloring his black jumpsuit with spots of gray dirt. Once he had climbed high enough that the leaves hid him from view, he glanced over towards the runner. They hadn’t seen him, and were continuing to sprint towards the Wall. As the person came closer, Tyler saw that he was a dark-haired man, carrying something small and black in his hand. Wrapped around his left arm was an armband that stood out from his black jumpsuit. It was a bright color, one that Tyler had only ever seen in one place: the morning sky, when light sometimes shone through Dema’s perpetual layer of clouds. He didn’t know what the color was called, but it was clearly important

The man reached the wall, pointed the strange object towards the top of the wall, and suddenly, a rope shot out of it so quickly Tyler flinched slightly. The rope flew all the way up to a window-sized hole about three stories off the ground, and snagged on the edge of the hole. The man was carrying a grappling hook, Tyler realized. He tugged on the rope slightly, and when it stayed strong, he began to ascend the wall.

He was trying to escape.

That man was trying to escape Dema.

A million different thoughts raced through Tyler’s mind. Why would anyone want to leave Dema? It was the only safe place in the world! Outside, there was only a wasteland full of violent, crazed animals. This man must be insane. That was the only explanation. 

 

As the man was about halfway up towards the window, however, a loud shot rang out. Tyler covered his ears in surprise, almost falling out of the tree in the process. The rope was severed by the bullet, and the escaping man plummeted to the ground. Two figures dressed in white jumpsuits and gas masks charged forward, each of them armed with a semi-automatic rifle. These were the Dema Watchers, Tyler realized. He had seen them only once before, when a woman who lived across the street from the Joseph household had been arrested for something or other. Tyler hadn’t asked questions. 

“Step away from the Wall!” one of the Watchers shouted, pointing his weapon at the man, who was struggling to his feet. “Typical Watchers, bringing _rifles_ to stop _one person,_ ” the man said angrily. “Shut up! We’re bringing you in,” the other Watcher shouted, returning her rifle to her back and taking out a pair of handcuffs. “They don’t control you!” the man suddenly screamed, making a run for it. “Stop him!” the female Watcher shouted.

A shot rang out.

The man collapsed at the bottom of Tyler’s tree.

The male Watcher fired several more shots. The man’s body jerked rapidly with each shot, then finally was still.

Blood was everywhere, dyeing the grass, the bark of the tree, and the man’s jumpsuit and armband a dull red.

Tyler shook violently, covering his mouth with one hand, whether to silence his breathing or to avoid vomiting, he didn’t know.

“Geez, you didn’t have to kill him!” the female Watcher said with disgust as she and her partner ran over to the body. “He was running. Besides, he tried to escape,” the male Watcher replied nonchalantly. “Whatever…anyway, we’d better report this,” she said, reaching for a handheld radio on her belt. “This is Watcher K-105. There’s been a Failed Perimeter Escape. We need a cleanup in District Keons, down by the House of the Old,” she said into the radio, strangely calm about the dead body in front of her. “We’ve got bigger issues,” a voice from the radio said. “How so?” “There’s been a…sighting in District Lisden. We need all available Watchers there immediately,” the voice said through the static. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” the male Watcher sighed. “Well, you heard him. No one comes out here anyway. It’ll be fine if we leave this guy here,” he continued, making his way back across the plains, and his partner reluctantly followed him. 

When he was sure they were gone, Tyler climbed down from the tree, shaking so much he almost fell twice. Jumping down from the lowest branch, he landed on his hands and knees, then cautiously stood up. Next to where he had landed was the lifeless body of the man who had tried to escape. Tyler wanted to look away, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the bullet-ridden corpse. For what felt like an eternity, he stood there, looking into the man’s open, empty eyes. Finally, Tyler blinked a few times, tears flowing from his eyes. His hands shook. His stomach churned. His throat felt like it was closing up. Everything was _wrong._

 

“Tyler, where have you been?!” Kelly Joseph cried, hugging her son close to her. “Sorry, mom…” Tyler said sheepishly, hiding his shock. “It’s okay. I understand, it was hard to see Grandpa like that…but please, don’t run away from us. You had everyone worried sick!” After a few more apologies to the staff, the Joseph family left the House of the Old. 

As he walked with his siblings, Tyler glanced around the street. He and his family lived on a small street near the western edge of District Keons, full of identical two-story houses and well-maintained lawns. As his family approached their residence, the 21st house on the street, Tyler kept thinking about what he had seen. Why had that man tried to escape from Dema? The nine-year-old tried to imagine himself in his shoes. Everyone knew that there was nothing but wasteland outside of the Walls, but…who had actually seen the outside? The Bishops, maybe, but definitely not the ordinary Demans. Maybe he had wanted to see if what the Bishops said was true. Or maybe…maybe he had seen an act of brutality similar to what Tyler had seen. Tyler remembered the woman who lived across the street, who had been taken away by the Watchers and never seen again. What if they had done something awful to her too? That man on the radio had said there was a sighting of some sort in District Lisden…what if someone else was going to be shot? What if this kind of thing happened often, all over Dema, and Tyler had been unfortunate enough to witness it firsthand?

Escaping didn’t sound so crazy anymore. 

 

That night, Tyler fell asleep quickly despite his racing thoughts.

The smell of salt filled the air. Tyler found himself standing on sand, with a huge body of water several feet in front of him. The water was moving, crashing against the sand and then pulling back into itself. Perhaps this was the Sea that Grandpa had always talked about? More impressive than the Sea itself, though, was the sky. It wasn’t white and covered by clouds at all, it was a deep blue, with a glowing circle that Grandpa had called the Sun shining high in the sky. The sun was the same color as that man’s armband. Why didn’t the sky of Dema look like this? This was beautiful.

 **“Magnificent, isn’t it?”** a deep voice said from behind Tyler. He turned around fast and saw a boy who looked just like him. He was dressed in all black except for his bright red beanie. His hands and neck were covered with what looked like black paint and his eyes were also red, like the blood of the man who had been shot. **“It’s rude to stare, Tyler Joseph,”** the boy said, his voice far too deep for a nine-year-old. “S-sorry,” Tyler stammered, too scared to ask who this boy was or how he knew his name. **“Look,”** the boy said, pointing down the beach. Tyler looked in the direction, and saw a line of people marching across the beach, towards the Sea. “Who are those people? What are they doing?” he asked, looking from the line to the strange boy, then back to the line. **“It’s the March to the Sea. Happens about this time of every year,”** the boy explained. “I don’t get it…” **“Watch.”**

Tyler watched as the line moved closer and closer to a small pier leading out further into the ocean. He noticed that the people in the line were taking small, slow steps, like they didn’t want to walk this way…or they didn’t have the strength to walk faster. Finally, the woman at the front of the line reached the start of the pier and kept walking. “What are they doing?” Tyler asked, confused. **“Weren’t you listening? This is the March to the Sea. They’re walking into the ocean,”** the sinister boy said calmly. “They’ll drown! I have to stop them!” Tyler screamed, breaking into a run. The woman was almost to the edge of the pier. Tyler ran as fast as he could, but wasn’t getting any closer. It was as if the sand itself was clinging to his feet, slowing him down, preventing him from advancing. She stopped at the edge of the pier for half a second, then leapt off, falling into the water and disappearing with a splash. “NO!” Tyler screamed, continuing to run in place. Suddenly, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. **“Relax. These people, they don’t know any better. They’re just walking the path chosen for them. There’s no saving any of them,”** the boy said. Tyler glared at him. “How can you say that? What _is_ this?” **“It’s life,”** the boy growled, his eyes almost glowing.

Tyler froze. He didn’t trust this strange doppelganger to begin with, but now he was genuinely afraid of him. The mysterious boy smirked. **“You should give up,”** he said. “I’m not turning my back on them. Not when those people are walking to their deaths without even knowing it!” Tyler said, trying once more to run to the line, to no avail. **“Fine. If you won’t run…”** The boy grabbed Tyler’s arms and started pushing him in the direction of the line. Strangely, the red-eyed boy was able to walk across the sand just fine. Why had it only stopped Tyler from moving? “What are you doing?!” **“Giving you what you want.”** Tyler kicked and screamed and struggled with all his might, but he couldn’t break free of the boy’s ice-cold iron grip. 

As the last person in the line threw himself off the edge of the pier, Tyler and the boy pushing him reached the start of the wooden platform. “Stop it!” Tyler screamed, trying once more to escape, but the boy was too strong. Tears started to roll down Tyler’s face. He was about to die, wasn’t he? He would die like that man from the Wall, and no one would remember him. “Who…who are you?” Tyler whimpered as they reached the edge of the pier. **“My name’s Blurryface,”** the boy said. Without another word, he pushed Tyler roughly. The nine-year-old screamed as his body fell towards the dark water.

 

**_“And I care what you think.”_ **

 

Tyler woke up screaming and gasping for breath. His body was soaked in sweat, but somehow he was still shivering. The neon light in the center of the room was blinking rapidly. “Tyler, what the heck?! Are you okay?!” Zack said, sitting up fast. Kelly opened the door to see her son crying and hyperventilating, and after glancing at the flashing light for a moment, she rushed over to the bed. Wrapping her arms around Tyler, she stroked his hair gently. “Shh…shh…it’s alright, Tyler. It was just a bad dream,” she whispered. “Deep breaths. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m here.” Tyler listened, taking one giant breath after another. Soon, his tears subsided, but the paralyzing fear that had caused them remained. “Mom…? What happened to Grandpa?” Tyler asked quietly. Kelly was quiet for a moment. “I’ll tell you in the morning,” she finally said. “Go back to sleep, Tyler. You’re safe,” she said, kissing his forehead. The neon light stopped flashing, returning to its normal state. Tyler laid back down, took a deep breath, and said, “Thanks, Mom. Good night,” “Good night, Tyler.”

Grandpa had died just half an hour before Tyler woke up from his first of many nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of what I expect to be a long ride!  
> Let me know what you thought, but please be kind!  
> This fic is inspired by two main sources besides Twenty One Pilots and Trench itself: the fic Someone Else's Dreams by SpookySad, and a novel called The Giver.  
> Follow me on Twitter @NulaisNula for updates about the story and assorted fangirling.


	2. Slowtown

Tyler Joseph was thirteen when he first saw a Bishop, and when he met the person who would change his life.

 

Tyler couldn’t help but fidget a bit. The auditorium was stuffy, and there were way too many people crammed together. The principal’s voice droned on and on, something about the long and important history of the high school. This Orientation was a big deal; Bishop Keons himself was going to speak soon. Everyone had been talking about it; if the rumors were to be believed, most of the Bishops didn’t do things like this. But Tyler couldn’t focus at all. It was hot and crowded and the neon lights hanging from the ceiling were too bright and the principal wouldn’t stop talking. Keons hadn’t even come on stage yet. Tyler wasn’t sure where the Bishop was. He looked to his right and saw a boy with dark, curly hair who looked even more uncomfortable than Tyler did. He nudged the boy, and whispered, “You okay?” The boy nearly jumped out of his skin, but awkwardly nodded. 

“It is now a great honor for me to welcome Bishop Keons himself to our Orientation!” the principal announced after a few more minutes, stepping away from the microphone to make room for a tall man in red robes walking in from backstage. 

Everyone in the room froze up the instant the Bishop stepped into the room. All the whispering and gossiping during the principal’s long speech stopped completely. There was something about Keons’ very presence that demanded silence, all attention on him. “Thank you,” Keons said to the principal, before turning to face the audience. “Truly, the honor is mine, to see such hardworking children of Dema about to begin the path to adulthood,” Keons said. “As you no doubt already know, when you Graduate in four years, I shall be assigning each of you your Roles in Dema. However, this does not mean that you have no say in the matter. I encourage each and every one of you to experience as much as you can during your high school years. This will help you to learn what you are talented at, as well as help me determine the most appropriate Role for you.”

“Keep this in mind: while high school will grant you certain freedoms that you have not had in your previous years, never forget that you are Demans. Selfishness is not the way of our glorious city. Fear not, however; should any of you choose the wrong path, I will do all that I can to correct it and save you from a self-inflicted ruin. If you suspect someone has strayed, please tell a Watcher immediately. Now…I think I’ve kept you long enough. I hope your high school years are the start of something wonderful.”

As Tyler exited the school building after the Orientation was over, he couldn’t help but think. Keons had seemed just as friendly and warm as people said, but Tyler still felt strangely unnerved. The Bishop had the whole room completely focused on him without having to say a single word. _That didn’t feel right,_ and no one seemed to notice but Tyler. What had Keons been doing, to have everyone give him their complete attention like that? 

 

Before his thoughts could wander further, he saw the dark-haired boy who had been sitting next to him during Orientation shuffling down the sidewalk, looking down at his feet. Tyler jogged over to the boy, tapped him on the shoulder, and said, “Hey.” The boy jumped again, though not nearly as badly as he had back in the auditorium. “H-hi,” he said, not making complete eye contact with Tyler. “Are you doing okay? You seemed really uncomfortable during the Orientation,” Tyler asked. “Oh, I’m fine. I’m just…not good with crowds,” the boy said. “I can relate. My name’s Tyler Joseph,” he said, holding out his hand. “…Josh Dun,” the boy said after a short pause, shaking Tyler’s hand. 

“So what kind of Role do you think you’re going to get, Josh?” Tyler asked as the two boys walked. It wasn’t the best question, especially given how much Tyler was questioning the ways of Dema, but it was a good conversation starter if you weren’t sure what else to say. “Oh, uh…not sure. I’m not really…good at anything,” Josh mumbled. “I’m sure there’s something you’re good at, dude!” Tyler assured him. “What about you?” Josh asked. “Well, my parents have been pushing me towards basketball ever since I was in middle school. They’re really strict about that. They make me shoot a hundred baskets every day before dinner, and they’re insisting that I join the school team. So if I keep up that practice, I’ll probably get assigned to the District’s basketball team when I Graduate,” Tyler explained. “Is that what you want, though?” Josh asked. Tyler actually stopped walking for a moment. He _didn’t_ want to play basketball forever, but…immediately what he had been raised to believe sprang to mind. “It’s not up to my parents, but it’s not up to me either. Keons will decide what I do,” Tyler said automatically. “Right…sorry,” Josh muttered. “No need to apologize,” Tyler said.

“Are you serious?!” Tyler exclaimed as they had almost reached Josh’s neighborhood. “Yup. My parents restrict what books and movies and music we can have in the house,” Josh repeated. “But don’t the Bishops already approve everything?” Tyler recalled. “That’s not good enough in the Dun household,” Josh joked. “Wow…anyway, is this where you said your house is?” Tyler said, pointing down the street. “Yeah. Thanks for walking with me. I, uh…I’ve never really had a friend before,” Josh said, staring at his feet. “Well, you have one now,” Tyler smiled, raising his hand for a high-five. Josh smiled back, and slapped his hand. “See you tomorrow, Tyler.”

 

The next day, Tyler stepped into his classroom and had to hold back a grin when he saw Josh sitting in the back of the room, right next to an empty desk. He practically speed-walked to the back of the room, almost colliding with another student on the way there, and slid into the empty seat next to Josh. The other boy’s eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled slightly. “Hey, Tyler,” he said. Tyler waved back, unpacking the books from his red backpack.

Once school had ended, Tyler and Josh stood outside, watching people walk by. They stood there in silence for a while, as Tyler stared up at the white sky. He could almost see the vague outline of the sun through the clouds. Looking back down at his feet, he let out a sigh. The dreams he had from time to time were usually disturbing, haunted by that Blurryface boy who would hurt him at every opportunity, and took him to places he never recognized, but at least the sky and the sun in that strange dream world were comforting. 

“Tyler,” Josh said, and Tyler was snapped back to reality. “Sorry, spaced out. What’s up?” he replied. “I was just wondering…why are the jumpsuits black? I mean, they could be literally any color, so why black?” Josh said. “I…honestly never thought about it. Maybe it’s to contrast with the sky? Since the clouds are white?” Tyler suggested. “That’s not what I think,” Josh’s voice went down to a whisper. “I think…they’re black so we can hide at night. You know…hide from _them,_ ” he continued. “Them? You mean the…?” Tyler gasped. “The Banditos,” Josh confirmed. Tyler shook slightly. Everyone knew the stories, about the people who came from outside the Walls, who snuck into Dema in the middle of the night to take people away. “But the Banditos are a myth. Just a story to scare kids and make sure they don’t stay out after curfew,” Tyler whispered back. “Maybe they are, but...maybe they're real. Anyway, I wanna show you someplace cool,” Josh said. 

“So why do you think the Banditos are real?” Tyler asked as they walked through the neighborhood near the school. “It’s complicated. Let’s just say I saw something that made me think they exist,” Josh said vaguely. “We’ve got time. You can explain,” Tyler said. “…Sorry, but I just met you yesterday. I’d rather not. I’m really sorry,” Josh stammered. “Oh, if you’re not comfortable talking about it, you don’t have to,” Tyler said. He understood; there was no way he would tell even his own parents about what he had seen when he was nine. 

 

“A music store?” Tyler said skeptically, staring through the windows at the instruments. “Yeah. I come here all the time and play on the drums until they kick me out,” Josh explained. “That’s amazing, dude. Music isn't for me, but I definitely appreciate it,” Tyler said. “Josh, welcome back! Here to show off your skills again?” the man behind the counter greeted them as they entered the store. “I’m not skilled,” an embarrassed Josh said. “Nonsense! Get on those drums and show your friend what you’ve got!” the store owner insisted. “Okay…” Without a word, Josh nervously made his way up to the drum set in the middle of the store. The owner threw him a pair of drum sticks, and the dark-haired boy effortlessly caught them. He tapped his sticks together three times, then began pounding out a fast-paced beat. Tyler’s eyes widened in awe as Josh bounced and shook as he drummed, a completely transformed person. The stiff, awkward boy sitting in the back of the class was gone, replaced by someone energetic and brave and powerful. It was the most incredible thing Tyler had ever seen, more inspiring than even Keons’ presence. Through the drums, Josh was defeating the shyness and insecurity that usually overwhelmed him. 

After finishing his drum solo, Josh stood up, sweating all over and grinning from ear to ear. One of his drum sticks had snapped, and he tossed the intact one back to the store owner. “I’ll pay for that one,” he said awkwardly, staring at the broken stick. “Josh, that was amazing!” Tyler exclaimed, and Josh ran a hand through his curly hair. “Thanks so much,” he said, gradually returning to his usual shy self as he stepped down from the drums. “So do you want to try an instrument?” the store owner asked Tyler. “Oh, uh…no. I can’t play anything,” Tyler said. “Well, it’s never too late to learn!” the store owner said cheerfully.

 

When Tyler got home, he was surprised to see his mother awkwardly shoving a rectangular cardboard box into the closet. “Uhh…mom?!” Tyler said, and Kelly Joseph yelled in surprise, dropping the box. She then proceeded to say a few choice words she likely wouldn’t have repeated in front of Bishop Keons. “Way to go, Ty,” Zack said sarcastically from the living room. “Mom…what is that?” Tyler asked. “Oh, I just found this old piano keyboard in the basement and it was still working. I thought Madison might like to learn how to play, but she said no, so I’m putting it away,” Kelly explained. Tyler shrugged off this information for a moment, but then he thought back to the music store, and how much music had affected Josh. He had said that music wasn’t for him…but the store owner did say he should at least give it a try. “Actually, maybe I could keep the piano?” Tyler suggested. Kelly’s eyes widened for a moment, but then she nodded. “Sure. Just don’t make too much noise when the basketball games are on,” she said. “Thanks, mom!” Tyler said, grabbing the piano and running up to his and Zack’s room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonists have met for the first time!  
> My depiction of Dema is meant to be, rather than a world drastically different from ours, a seemingly normal society that's secretly a dystopia.  
> Follow me on Twitter @NulaisNula if you want. You don't have to. I don't own you.


End file.
